Countdown: Six
by KJ4
Summary: Helen Parr reveals a secret to her family, one that she wanted to keep hidden. Now the proverbial skeleton in the closet is brought out and her family has to come to terms with it. Unfortunately, some people just can't handle the truth.


Disclaimer: As usual, don't own Incredibles (Pixar and Brad Bird do). Don't own Aberrant (though if I win the Lotto, I might try buying the rights from White Wolf since they've abandoned the line).

Author's Notes: Sorry, no Buddy Pine in this Countdown, but he will return in the other ones. I also want to thank everyone who's been sticking around with me on this crazy ride. I thought I'd take a different change of pace for this Countdown. Not sure if I like the second half of it as much, but I wanted to make the confrontation as short as possible.

Oh...and if there are any Dash fans reading this...I just want to say "Sorry" in advance and I will suggest you might want to skip this. He's something of a...well...bully in my twisted little take on this 'verse. Some would say it's accurate, others would disagree and, as far as I'm concerned, everyone's entitled to their opinion. On the other hand, I just wanted to post up the warning. So here it is:

_**WARNING TO FANS OF DASH PARR:**_ HE IS PORTRAYED AS AN ARROGANT JERK WITH A CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER!

Okay...I think I've covered myself in that department. Now...on with the show. Oh, and as usual, reviews, comments, and even the occasional threat is welcomed.

* * *

_Everyone has secrets, some more damning than others. Most people try to suppress their secrets, bury them deep and try to forget about them and live a lie so convincing to themselves, that they do truly forget about the proverbial skeleton in the closet. Unfortunately, in most of those cases, the skeleton is discovered or a situation arises when it must be dealt with. And when that happens, it truly changes everything...sometimes for the good, sometimes for the worst. Once the skeleton has been brought out, secrets revealed, the past dug up from the depths it had been all these years, nothing will be the same. Perceptions of reality and of those close to us change._

_For some, this can be a good thing, giving them a true glance at the real world around them. But for others, it could shatter the little world they have created for themselves and destroyed what they believed in...and they don't ever recover from that._

From the personal journal of Pedro Santiago, The Mathematician.

* * *

Helen Parr, semi-retired super-heroine, occasional substitute teacher/school counselor, loving wife, and mother of three beautiful children, had been through a lot in her lifetime. As a child, she grew up poor in a single parent home, but she and her mother managed to make it. In fact, she prided herself on being a lot like her mother, strong and independent. As a young adult, that strength carried her through college and helped her recover from the accident that triggered her powers. That strength also carried her through her career as the heroine known as Elastigirl, and it was that strength that kept her going in the twenty three years she had been married to Bob.

But now, she felt weak. For the first time in her life, that strength wasn't enough. It failed her...because it didn't shield her from the brutal truth she and the few remaining 'original' supers (she still refused to refer to herself as a 'nova') chose to ignore. Of course, that truth was nothing compared to the secret she kept hidden from Bob...a secret that she assumed would stay buried.

She had only met her biological father three times...the first time was at her mother's funeral. She had just graduated college...a moment in her life that should have been a joyous occasion...and would have been if her mother hadn't been dying of cancer. Helen wanted to drop out and take care of her mother, but Nancy Taggerty would have none of that.

"My little girl is going to make it," her mother said. "And I have no intention of checking out until you do. So you better not screw up your life on my account or I will kick your sorry butt all over that campus until you graduate."

Helen smiled at that memory. Oh yes, the Taggerty women were strong alright. And true to her word, Nancy Taggerty held on long enough to see her girl make it, before quietly passing away a couple months later. It was bittersweet moment in Helen's life, but she felt the best way to be true to her mother's memory was to be strong.

The first test of that strength came when a tall and handsome looking gentleman in his 30s showed up at the tail end of the funeral. No one knew who he was, but he respectfully kept his distance and, when most of the others had left, placed a single red rose on her mother's tombstone. She confronted him there and that's when he dropped his little bombshell...he was actually her father. At first she didn't believe him...then he hit her with the second bombshell.

"Do you really think your powers came about by accident?" he asked her.

Needless to say that argument didn't go well. It was mostly her screaming at him, telling him that he was never a part of her life and she had no desire to change that now. He tried to tell her that he didn't know she existed until only a couple years earlier, but she didn't believe him.

It wasn't until she was going through some of her mother's things that she found one of her mother's journals. In that journal, she read about her mother's affair with a young and dashing stranger whose description eerily matched the man she had met at the funeral. Then there was the entry that shook her...

_The strange men showed up again...they actually tried to take me! They showed up outside where I worked and grabbed me. They kept saying that I was 'important to Aeon'...that the baby was important. They knew I was pregnant! I hadn't even told Michael yet._

_They shot me up with something that made me weak so I'd stop fighting them. I remember losing consciousness, but being suddenly woken up by the sound of rending metal and gunfire. That's when I looked up and saw Michael...he was floating in the air...and he had just ripped the top of the car off. It was surreal...almost as if I were watching one of those stupid Superman shows...but it was real. My captors fired guns at him and the bullets...it was like they melted to nothing just before they hit Michael._

The rest of the entry detailed the bloodbath that followed as _Michael_ proceeded to kill the men who had kidnapped her mother and then killed the others who arrived to assist there was the next entry after that.

_Michael is leaving, he said it would be best for both of us and that it was the only way to keep me safe. He left me with fifty-thousand and told me to leave as well. He suggested I should relocate to the other side of the country. I still haven't told him about the baby, and I don't think I should...not with those Aeon people running around._

Those entries rocked Helen to her core and she started to wonder that maybe her powers weren't an accident, but something she inherited. She tried to find 'Michael', but couldn't track him down. Instead, he found her a few weeks later after she, as Elastigirl, foiled a bank robbery. This time, they had a more civil conversation, but it was agreed that it would be best for all involved if he stayed away.

That was the last she saw of him...until a year ago when a nova calling himself Divis Mal emerged and issued his televised "Null Manifesto" urging novas to rebel against Project Utopia's "exploitation of the new race". She wanted to say something then, but decided not to. Her family, though they were supers operating in the open, still had the safety of a secret identity. Utopia hadn't come after them, thanks to the NSA, but Helen knew it was only a matter of time.

Her strength took another hit only a few months ago when David Flynn, a young man claiming to be Syndrome's son (with striking similarities to that mad man to back his story) showed up on her doorstep...right out in the open. Over the last several weeks, her world, everything she believed in was shaken to its core. Violet taking the job at David Flynn's company over her parents' objections, the assault on SST by a Utopia team with Violet and Jack stuck in the middle of it...it was too much. She was half expecting Bob to head over to Syndrome Software and Technologies and put David Flynn in traction...hell...SHE wanted to do that.

However, Bob didn't toss David Flynn into the next state. Instead, he returned with a grim face and a tiny flash-drive which they both looked at together. What she saw on that drive frightened her, especially when she found out that Utopia did know about her family. It got worse when they called up Dicker and he confirmed everything David Flynn had presented to them.

But the most recent blow to her strength was a little over a week ago when her father showed up on her doorstep.

"_I thought we agreed...you stay away, my family and I live our lives."_

"_It's not that simple anymore, Helen...something's happening."_

"_If it involves you and your little band of psychopaths, that's all on you."_

"_They're hardly 'psychopaths', Helen...at least no better or worse than the fools who run Utopia."_

"_Again, it's none of my concern, and my family and I are none of yours."_

"_And if I could, Helen, I would be more than willing to let you live your life, but I'm afraid that's impossible. They now know about Jack."_

"_You stay away from him!"_

"_I have no intention of taking him from you, I'm only here to warn you. There are people out there who know about him and your other children. David Flynn's protection can only go so far...but I'm willing to help you if he fails."_

"_Wait, what do you mean by 'Flynn's protection'?"_

"_You don't know? He's had one of his people keep tabs on you since the battle at his company."_

"_Well, that's going to change...I don't want that little monster in our lives anymore than he already is."_

"_Believe me, David Flynn is no monster."_

"_Oh...and I'm sure you're a fair judge in that category..."_

Like her past previous "conversations" with her father ("confrontations" being a more appropriate description), this ended with her telling her father to get lost and him quietly leaving.

That was over a week ago, and now, after a week of fighting her own internal demons, she made a decision. Tonight, she was going to tell her family the truth. Her father was right about one thing...the truth had to be told sooner or later. So Helen Parr decided to call a "family" discussion under the guise of inviting Violet to dinner with the family. In addition, she promised Violet that she would not talk about her taking the job with David Flynn's company (though that didn't stop her from saying that she didn't like it).

The dinner (pot roast, veggies, garlic roasted mash potatoes, and homemade rolls) got a lot of curious looks from her family members. A concerned look from Bob told her that he knew what she was doing, but he didn't say anything, probably thinking that he would find out after dinner. Violet also cast a couple suspicious looks in her direction, but didn't say anything either.

Dash didn't seem to care, or just didn't sense anything was wrong. He just tore into his dinner and talked about how things were going at school, especially with all the rumors flying around about Zoe Kilmarten and her leaving the school after being outed as a nova.

Jack seemed bored...or annoyed, quietly eating his dinner, speaking up only to complain about how EA Games was going to push back the release of some of their sports games for the PS3.

After dinner was over with and the table was cleared, Helen finally got the courage to talk about why they were all there.

"I just want you to know," she began, "that no matter what I say tonight, I love you all."

"Okay, this sounds ominous," Violet said. Then her eyes widened in alarm. "Mom...you're not dying, are you?"

"What?" Helen blinked a couple times, she wasn't expecting that question. "No...no...not that," she said.

Her comments got a collective sigh of relief from her family.

"I'm not dying," she said. "It's just that..."

"Oh god...you had an affair!"

"No Dash, I didn't have an affair!"

"I'm relieved to hear that," Bob chuckled, though his laughter did sound a little forced.

"Guys, I'm trying to be serious here!" Helen exclaimed. "I just...don't know how to say it."

"Honey, it's okay," Bob told her. "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad. You're not dying, you're not having an affair, we're not getting divorced." He suddenly paused for a moment. "You're not filing for divorce, are you?" he asked.

"No!"

"Whoa, Mom...take it easy," Violet said. "If you have a skeleton in the closet, and it's none of the previous mentioned items, it can't be that bad." Then her eyes narrowed. "Wait...you're not pregnant, are you?"

"No, I'm not pregnant!"

Jack let out a sigh of a relief. "That's good to know," he said. "Because I'm really not ready give up my 'baby' status, just yet. I mean...then I have to devote my time to throwing the occasional tantrum, acting out...I'm really not sure I can fit that in my schedule. Though I could give up hockey practice for it..."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll do just fine," Dash snorted.

"Nah," Jack fired back at him. "You're the master at tantrums and acting out, I could never match you."

"That's right." Dash smiled triumphantly, then suddenly realized what his brother had said. "Wait, that was an insult, wasn't it?"

"For a speeder, awfully slow on the uptake, bro."

"I'll show you slow," Dash said as he started to get up from the table.

"Dash," Helen said, the warning very clear in her voice. "Sit. Down. Now."

By now, she had everyone's attention. Whenever she used THAT tone, it made her children almost immediately quiet down (though she was certain the effect would wear off as they got older).

Bob leaned back in his chair. "Okay, you got our attention," he said. "So what is it?"

"Honey," Helen began. She almost lost her nerve and was tempted to make up some lie, but she managed to keep her resolve. "I know we made a promise...no more secrets. It's just...I've had this secret long before I met you. I thought it was just part of my past I wanted to bury."

"Oh, you mean about why you and your former sidekick are not exactly on the best of terms?" Dash asked. "We already know why you and Aunt Penny don't get along."

"Hey, in her defense, I would have kept the money too," Jack piped up. "I mean, if I knew that society was going to ban my heroic lifestyle...oh wait...not a hero, don't care. But I'd still keep the money anyway. I mean, she did, why didn't you?"

"Guys, we're getting off track here," Violet said. She then turned back to her mother. "Okay, Mom...spit it out."

"Fine," Helen snapped. "It's about Divis Mal...he's my father!"

Bob was taking a sip of his water when Helen was making her revelation. He ended up spitting some of it out while choking on the rest.

Violet blinked at that revelation, then shook her head again. "I'm sorry," she said. "Did you say what I think you said?"

The smirk on Dash's face suddenly disappeared, his face becoming a cold mask.

Silence then fell around the table, and Helen could sense the tension starting to rise. She was about to say something, but Jack beat her to it.

"Y'know," Jack said, a thoughtful look on his face. "That explains a lot." Then he began to laugh. "Cool, I have grandpa...and he's a badass."

"That's not funny!" Dash snarled.

"No," Bob said. "It isn't. Helen...why didn't you tell me?"

"When should I have I told you, Bob?" Helen asked. "When I first met you, I assumed he was out of my life forever. Besides, what could I have told you? 'Hi, I'm Helen, I'm allergic to shellfish, I love long walks on the beach, and...oh yeah...my father is a nearly immortal being with the powers of a god-like deity'? Somehow, I don't think that would go over well."

Bob thought about that for a moment, then chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess that would have been a little too much to take back then."

Helen looked over at her daughter who had thoughtful look on her face. "Vi, you seem to be taking this rather well."

Violet shrugged. "Mom, I'm working at a tech company owned by the son of one of our greatest enemies...needless to say, this really doesn't surprise me." She shook her head and sighed. "Just more drama."

"I wish you wouldn't bring that up," Helen said. "I still don't trust that boy and I don't like him that close to you."

"Nothing to worry about in that department," Jack said. "I think he has a thing for the pink-haired chick. She's the one you really need to worry about."

"Look, Helen, no one's going to judge you." Bob got up from the table, and walked over to where Helen was sitting, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We all have our share of screw-ups in the family."

"Yeah," Dash grumbled. "It's not every day you find out you have a super-villain for a grand-father and everyone's okay with it."

"Dash, it's not like that..."

"Really, mom? Excuse me, but we're heroes. We're supposed to bring people like Divis Mal down. He's a crazy fanatic!" He got up and slammed his hands on the table. "First we find out that Syndrome's little bastard is around, he then suckers Violet to work for him, and then you tell us 'oh, by the way, we're related to a terrorist' and we're supposed to let that slide? Does that mean we've been living a lie all this time?"

"Look, son, this caught all of us by surprise," Bob said.

"Understatement of the year, Dad!" Dash snapped. "You know what...the hell with this. I'm taking a walk."

"No," Bob said. "You-" he was cut off by the sound of rushing air as Dash disappeared in a blur, "won't."

For several seconds, dead silence filled the room as nobody said anything, all of them simply staring at the empty space Dash was occupying only a short time ago.

Then Jack cleared his throat. "See," he said, "I have nothing on him in the tantrum department." He then got up out of his chair. "I take it the family discussion is over, can I go back to the PS3? I got a really cool NCAA tournament I need to get back to."

* * *

David Flynn stood in the empty parking lot of SST while he dialed a number on his cell phone for what was probably...he lost count. It had been a couple weeks since Zoe disappeared. The last time he talked to her, it was in the form of panicked phone call where she told David that her parents were moving and forcing her to attend the private school her mother taught at. She did promise she would call back, but after two weeks, David was worried.

He tried the various phone numbers of Zoe's parents and found them all disconnected except for the one at the Avalon Academy. He managed to talk to someone at Avalon who did confirm that Zoe was there, but her parents had explicitly forbidden Zoe to contact David. The number for the cell-phone he bought Zoe was still active, but she didn't answer. For a moment, he considered using his power to break through the communication grid and break into the American Crusaders mainframe, but he didn't want to risk having America's super team come down on him (along with Dicker and the NSA).

He shook his head again as he was forwarded to Zoe's voice-mail, and killed the connection.

_Dammit, Zoe! I hope you're doing okay..._

He put the phone back in his jacket and started to make his way to the Mustang. A familiar "whooshing" noise made him stop and he smiled. He was about to welcome her back when the blur stopped in front of him.

In that moment, he realized two things. The first thing he realized was that it wasn't Zoe, because Zoe wasn't a guy and didn't have short blond hair. The next thing he realized, was that a fist was slamming into his face. That second realization was confirmed when that fist hit him in the side of the jaw and pain (along with a wave of dizziness) registered with his brain. He staggered a couple steps and heard the "whoosh" again right before he got kicked in the back of the legs. He dropped to his knees, but put his arms out to brace himself and prevent a face plant into the ground.

Then he heard that "whoosh" again, and felt something kick him in the stomach, the blow lifting him off the ground and throwing him several feet before he landed in a heap.

"Get up, you piece of shit!"

David shook his head and spit out some blood before looking up at his attacker. "Dash Parr," he said as he started to get up off the ground. "I was wondering when you were going to show up...though I didn't think you'd take this kind of approach."

"Things were fine before you showed up," Dash snarled. "Then you and that pink haired whore of yours had to ruin it."

David bristled at that comment, but realized that if he said anything hostile, Dash might proceed to use his speed to beat the shit out of him.

_Unless I find a way to level the playing field. I know how your kind works, Dash...let's see if you're that predictable._

"First off," David said. "Zoe's not a whore, and I'd be careful with that kind of language around her. And second, if you have a problem with me...be a man for a change and try coming at me without your super speed." Then he flashed Dash a smug grin. "Oh, but you can't do that, can you? After all, if you didn't have powers, you'd just be a nobody."

Dash charged forward, at normal speed, throwing a flurry of punches that David managed to deflect. When Dash tried for a spin-kick, David stepped forward inside Dash's arc and landed a well placed punch that caught Jack on the side of the jaw. As Dash stumbled back, David followed up with a couple kicks of his own that brought Dash down.

"I gotta' tell ya, Parr," he said as he looked down at Dash. "You suck when it comes to a real fight. I could say you hit like a girl, but that would be an insult to girls. Besides, your sister is a much better fighter than you."

Suddenly, Dash kicked on the super-speed again, getting back up on his feet and charged into David, reverting back to normal speed as he grabbed David by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the black Mustang. He then punched David in the stomach and smiled in satisfaction as David dropped down to the ground.

"Wow...not so tough anymore, are you?" he asked.

To Dash's surprise, David started laughing as he got back up on his knees. "Why? Because I don't have super speed?" He shook his head and spat some blood on the ground. "You just proved my point, Parr. If you didn't have your super-speed, you'd be a normal guy with no skill, not talent, and no future. You call yourself a hero...you're not. You're just a bully with super-powers."

Dash charged forward, picking up David by the hair. He was going to deliver another punch to David's face, but stopped when he saw David smile.

"I rest my case," David said with a smirk. "Go ahead, hero. Beat the shit out of me."

Before Dash could react, he suddenly felt something cold and sharp press up against his throat.

"Okay, Parr, playtime's over." The voice was low and dangerous. To emphasize the point, Null moved the knife slightly, lightly scratching Dash's skin to the point that it was starting draw a little blood. "Back away from my boss before I do the whole world a favor and sever your vocal chords."

Dash let David go. "You think you can do that?" he sneered, getting read to kick in his super-speed.

Null's chuckle sent a chill down Dash's spine. "I may not have super-speed," he said, "but I know that I can keep up with you long enough to do some serious damage." The young Native American pulled his knife away from Dash's throat and stepped back a few feet. "Tell you what," he drawled as he simply stood there, arms down in a non-defensive posture, "I'll even let you take a free shot at me."

Dash was about to charge the other man, but, for once, common sense kicked in and he realized that Null seemed a little too confident. The fact that Null got the drop on him initially was warning enough that he was dangerous.

"C'mon, Parr," Null said. "You were more than willing to sucker-punch someone who didn't see it coming. Let's see you take on someone on your level." He then tossed his knife on the ground, which landed at Dash's feet. "And to make it fair, I'll even let you have a weapon."

That's when Dash realized that he truly was at a disadvantage. The cold look in the other guy's eyes told him that if they fought, it would be quick and brutal and there was good chance Dash wouldn't win.

So Dash did what most bullies did when they were facing an actual threat. He gave Null a look of disgust to cover up his own fear, then glanced down at David Flynn. "Neither of you are worth it," he sneered. Then he disappeared in a blur.

Null stood there for a moment and shook his head before walking over and picking his hunting knife up off the ground. He then walked over to where David was starting to pull himself up off the ground.

"Easy, buddy," he said as he helped David up. Then he smiled at David's bloody face and shook his head again. "Damn...now that was a beating."

"Glad you liked the show," David choked out, spitting out some more blood. "I think the fucker broke a couple ribs." He then looked up at his friend and smiled. "You took your sweet time getting involved."

"Sorry, I was kind of enjoying the whole thing."

"Yeah, I can see that." David leaned against the side of his Mustang and took a couple deep breaths. "Still," he said, "I got sloppy. I should have seen him coming."

"I won't argue with that," Null replied. "You were too busy worrying about Zoe and you let your guard down for a moment. Tends to happen to everybody at least once. Although, I have to tell you, I was impressed with the way you started to get the upper hand once he stopped using his powers."

"Like I said...he'd be a nobody without them." David then reached into his jacket and pulled out a small disc-like device. "I almost wanted to use this, but I didn't think it would be a good idea to let people know about it."

Null's eyes widened when he saw the device. He saw the blueprints for it a couple times in David's personal work-shop, he even helped design it. "You had a quantum dampener on you? And you didn't use it?"

David shook his head. "No. Like I said, don't think it would be a good idea if people knew that I had a way to temporarily neutralize their powers for a couple minutes. Besides, it won't work on all novas."

"But it would have worked on Parr, right?"

"Yeah, he's just a level 2 nova. But it wouldn't do much to someone like Divis Mal or Caestus Pax...maybe cut their power levels by about ten or twenty percent, but that wouldn't stop them from turning me into a pile of ash." Then he paused as he thought about it for a minute. "Actually, I take that back...it might stop them from turning me into a pile of ash, but I'd still be a deeply roasted corpse."

"But you're certain it would have worked on Parr?"

"Oh yeah...easily."

"And you still didn't use it?"

"Nope."

Null shook his head again and laughed. "You got brass ones, David, I'll give you that. Now c'mon...let's get you inside before you start bleeding all over your car's paint job."


End file.
